Diversity

Diversity is the birthright of humanity. My experiences as an Asian American student, journalist, and leader has revealed that cultural diversity is fundamental to life. Positive change, in its purpose to share happiness with all of humanity, is not complete without addressing and representing the full range of lived experiences in a community.

Lunar New Year Proposal

During the pandemic, violence against Asians (AAPI community) was rampant, and the #StopAsianHate movement was born. This was especially active in my Chapel Hill community, and as an Asian American myself, I’ve seen discrimination and violence arising because of misunderstandings. If it’s a way of thinking we have to change, then the key is to share AAPI culture and understanding, from my AAPI community to the wider one.

Thus, I spent one year preparing proposals, coordinating with board members, sending emails, and giving speeches to recognize Lunar New Year in Chapel Hill as a school holiday. During this time, there were many obstacles, such as managing time, coordinating events, researching and writing materials, balancing schoolwork, etc. However, I believed it was something that needed to be done, and my community worked with me every step of the way.

In February 2021, I gave a speech about my proposal at a Board of Education meeting.

During this time, we gathered support and in-person remarks from NC Rep. Allan Buansi, Chapel Hill council members Tai Huynh and Hongbin Gu, the largest AAPI coalition in NC, signatures from parents and students across the three local high schools, and more. Then on Lunar New Year Day 2021, the board members voted unanimously to approve the new school calendar—and Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools (CHCCS) became the first and only school district in North Carolina to recognize Lunar New Year as a holiday.

Later, I was interviewed by local Chinese media, who said this feat was a milestone for Asians in North Carolina. But to no means does this end with the AAPI community getting a holiday recognized. The success of this proposal also meant that Chapel Hill’s doors were open to many different cultures and that opportunities were open to all in our hometown.

Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) JCamp

Interviewing a local artist as part of my man-on-the-street story assignment for JCamp in Washington, DC.

In the summer of 2023, I was 1 of the 30 selected high school students across the US to attend a no-cost summer journalism camp (JCamp 2023), organized by the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA). That was the first time I met journalists my age in person, all amazing young people and extraordinary mentors in the same room for a week was incredibly inspiring and motivating. Prior to coming here, I was actually unsure if journalism was something I want to do for a career. When I left, I knew it was definitely that would stay with me for the rest of my life. Journalism is more than a skill. As my JCamp friends would put it, it is a “lifestyle.”

At JCamp, I also met lifelong mentors. Pulitzer Prize and Nobel Laureate journalists—and regardless of education level— who risked their lives on war fronts to tell truths to global audiences. My mentors, who followed migrant families along the US-Mexico border during Title 42, who communicated with whistleblowers while living in the United Arab Emirates and being on their blacklist, who broke out of alcoholism while interviewing and rubbing shoulders with Hollywood celebrities, and more. They told us about the ups and downs of journalism, taught us how to network, and how to be good listeners and storytellers through a variety of mediums and beats.

Today, our 30+ high school journalist group chat is still very active as we give advice, hype, nostalgia, and random encounters across the country with each other.

Asian American Scholars Forum (AASF)

The thumbnail for my video about Teresa Meng.

In July 2024, I created a 45-second video about Dr. Teresa Meng for the Asian American Scholars Forum (AASF)’s Youth Ambassador for Science national video contest.

Dr. Meng is a researcher who developed a semiconductor technology that made domestic, wireless WiFi possible. When researching her story, I came across a recording of a panel in 2018, where she said that in order to succeed, women (especially women in STEM) needed to be able to differentiate between good advice and advice pretending to be good advice. From one Teresa to another, it was inspiring to know that Asian American women (Teresas!) can indeed excel in fields people traditionally do not think is possible.

A few weeks later, this video won the Best Science Exposition Award, with a $1k prize, in the competition and I was invited to attend the Asian American Pioneer Award Symposium and Ceremony at Stanford University.

International Leadership Foundation (ILF) & North Carolina Asian American Coalition (NCAAC)

For the first time, I tried my hand in entrepreneurship at the ILF & NCAAC Young Entrepreneurship Contest in July 2021. I researched, fleshed my idea out, and made a presentation to ILF judges about my idea: a PR firm for other high school entrepreneurships. I won third place with a $100 prize.

Asian Student Association (ASA)

At my high school, I participate in the weekly discussions about AAPI topics, hosted by the NCSSM Asian Student Association. For example, we talked about the Hawaii wildfires, Asian stereotypes in multimedia, whitewashing of cultural food, etc.

When ASA holds block parties and Asian cultural festivals and performances, I help out as an event volunteer or as a booth/table volunteer, creating a table where students could participate in fun cultural games or try out regional food.

Interviewed for Scholastic Blog

For AAPI Month in 2023, I was interviewed by Scholastic for their Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) feature on the Scholastic Blog. I talked about my experiences as an Asian American student, as an AAPI journalist writing stories to impact policy-making, and my hopes for the future.